Concreting facility and corresponding concreting method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113288-B2
Application number	US-201415101371-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a concreting installation for concreting an excavation. The installation includes a concreting column having a top end arranged to be open in order to be at atmospheric pressure, and at least one controlled retention device situated at a distance from the open top end of the concreting column and adapted, in at least one configuration, to retain a volume of concrete inside the column. The invention also relates to a method of concreting an excavation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of concreting an excavation, the method comprising:
placing a concreting column in the excavation for concreting, wherein the concreting column extends between an open top end and a bottom end thereof;
at least partially filing the concrete column with a fluid other than concrete; and
performing a first concreting cycle, wherein the first concreting cycle comprises a priming step comprising:
inserting concrete into the concreting column via the open top end to expel the fluid other than concrete from the concreting column;
filing the concreting column with concrete; and
retaining a volume of concrete a distance from the open top end such that a height of an empty space, defined between the volume of concrete and one of the open top end and the bottom end of the concreting column, remains less than a predetermined limit value, wherein retaining the volume of concrete comprises at least partially constricting a flow section inside the concreting column and/or to the outside of the concreting column.

2. The concreting method according to claim 1 , wherein the empty space is situated above the volume of concrete.

3. The concreting method according to claim 2 , wherein the first concreting cycle further comprises:
measuring and/or calculating at least one parameter representative of the level of concrete inside the concreting column; and
at least partially constricting the flow section inside the concreting column and/or to the outside of the concreting column as a function of the at least one parameter to retain the volume of concrete such that the height of the empty space defined between the volume of concrete contained in the concreting column and the open top end of the concreting column remains less than the predetermined limit value.

4. The concreting method according to claim 1 , wherein the first concreting cycle further comprises:
stopping the introducing of concrete to the concreting column once a given volume of concrete has been inserted into the excavation; and
at least partially constricting the flow section inside the concreting column and/or to the outside of the concreting column as a function of at least one parameter representative of the level of concrete inside the concreting column.

5. The concreting method according to claim 1 , wherein the empty space is situated beneath the volume of concrete.

6. The concreting method according to claim 5 , further comprising discharging air present in the empty space.

7. The concreting method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined limit value is substantially equal to 40 meters.

8. The concreting method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
raising the concreting column inside the excavation after the first concreting cycle; and
performing a second concreting cycle.

9. The concreting method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined limit is less than a height of the concreting column between the open top end and the bottom end.

Assignees

• Soletanche Freyssinet

Inventors

• Steff De Verninac Bertrand
• Perpezat Daniel
• Auvray Christian
• Rouffaud Lionel

Classifications

• E02D7/00

  Methods or apparatus for placing sheet pile bulkheads, piles, mouldpipes, or other moulds (for both placing and removing E02D11/00; {accessories for coupling driver to piles or the like E02D13/10; for trees or other plants A01G17/16; placing posts E04H17/26}) · CPC title

• E02D17/13

  Foundation slots {or slits}; Implements for making these slots {or slits} · CPC title

• E02D15/04 Primary

  Placing concrete in mould-pipes, pile tubes, bore-holes or narrow shafts · CPC title